RESOURCES • GLOSSARY
EDI Glossary: Common EDI Terms Explained
A simple glossary of EDI terminology — designed for business teams, not just technical specialists.
Use this page to quickly understand EDI documents, standards, and trading partner concepts you’ll see during onboarding and day-to-day operations.
Tip: You can link from your blog posts to this glossary to help users (and improve SEO). Example: “What is an ASN?” → link to the ASN glossary entry.
Core EDI terms
EDI
Electronic Data Interchange — a standard way businesses exchange documents electronically between systems.
Trading Partner
A business you exchange documents with (retailer, supplier, marketplace, carrier, etc.).
Mapping
The process of matching your internal data fields to the partner’s EDI format requirements.
Translation
Converting a document between formats (e.g., ERP data → EDIFACT / X12, or vice versa).
Validation
Automated checks to ensure documents meet partner rules (mandatory fields, codes, totals, etc.).
Acknowledgement
A message confirming receipt/acceptance of an order or transmission (depends on document type).
Common documents
Purchase Order (PO)
An order sent by a buyer to a supplier requesting goods/services.
Order Acknowledgement (ACK)
Confirms an order has been received and accepted (or amended) by the supplier.
ASN
Advanced Shipping Notice — sent before delivery with shipment details for receiving/reconciliation.
Invoice
A request for payment, ideally aligned to PO and shipment quantities.
Remittance Advice
Details of payment: what’s being paid, amounts, and references.
Inventory Advice
Communicates stock availability or inventory changes (partner-dependent).
Standards & connectivity
EDIFACT
An international EDI standard commonly used across Europe and global trade.
ANSI X12
An EDI standard commonly used in North America.
Tradacoms
An older EDI standard historically used in parts of UK retail.
AS2
A secure internet protocol for sending EDI messages with encryption and acknowledgements.
SFTP
Secure File Transfer Protocol — encrypted file exchange over secure connections.
VAN
Value Added Network — a third-party network that routes EDI messages between partners.
Want help translating EDI terms into working integrations?
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